Climate and congressional race featured on Capitol City Sunday

MADISON (WKOW) -- The Director of UW-Madison's Global Health Institute says severe weather extremes are only going to become more common in the coming years and Wisconsin has to prepare for it.

Dr. Jonathan Patz says Wisconsin will see more hot days, more droughts and more severe rainfalls that cause flooding.

Dr. Patz is one of the featured guests on this weekend's edition of 'Capitol City Sunday.'

"We will see an increase in frequency and intensity of these," says Dr. Patz. "That means we have to be prepared, we need cooling centers, we need language-appropriate early warning."

Dr. Patz says those steps will save lives, but also save money, especially when it comes to hospitalization costs.

But he says that's not enough.

"If we were to have a low-carbon economy where we had multi-modal transportation, where we designed cities with better mass transit, bike-ability, walk-ability, it would have a huge public health dividend," says Dr. Patz.

In the second half of the show, state Rep. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) discusses her run for the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin's second congressional district.

Rep. Roys says jump starting job creation is an important part of her agenda.

"We have to free people to start their own businesses and you do that by things like guaranteeing health care, making sure there's an educated workforce here," says Rep. Roys. "Growing businesses here in Wisconsin is the very best way for us to be prosperous."

Rep. Roys says she also supports cutting defense spending and ending the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans, while preserving Social Security.

"I will fight Paul Ryan, tooth and nail against trying to privatize Social Security or take away the safety net that so many of our Seniors rely on," says Rep. Roys.

'Capitol City Sunday' airs Sunday, July 15 at 9:00 a.m., right after 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos.'